


Six Months

by lovevalley45



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Crying, Gen, Haircuts, Post-Canon, Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 10:20:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11056932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovevalley45/pseuds/lovevalley45
Summary: A lot can change in six months.





	Six Months

**Author's Note:**

> ahhh first Steven Universe fic! so i've just been,,, crying over Lars for the last few weeks and i woke up early and decided that i needed to write something
> 
> so take this sorta angsty shit and enjoy

Six months. Lars had spent six months on Homeworld, and now he was finally back on Earth. He wasn't home, too scared to see what his parents would say. He'd spent the last few days at Steven’s, trying to readjust to Earth. 

So he sat in the living room, wearing a borrowed hoodie. It was a bit too big, but it was warm. Spring had turned to summer, and summer had turned to fall, and now it was almost winter. Six long months. 

Steven and the other Gems had went to find out what to do with Rhodonite, Runite, Fluoride, and Padparadscha. They hadn't wanted to stay at the temple, so they were trying to find them somewhere to stay. Lars had been invited to come along, but declined. 

In six months, Lars’ hair had grown out. Usually it was slow to grow, which made it easy to maintain. But after Steven had healed him, or whatever he'd done, his hair had started to grow quickly, which had been a challenge at first. He was used to his hair staying out of his face, but now his pink curls fell in his face whenever he moved his head. 

Currently, the longest part, which hung in front of his face, reached down to his chest. The back, which had been shaved, grew shorter, only reaching his shoulders. It was terribly uneven, and it was starting to bother him. 

Lars got up, and went into the kitchen. He wasn't hungry, hadn't been hungry in a long time. A reminder of what had happened on Homeworld that he dismissed. He wasn't looking for food, however. He opened a drawer, and then another, before finding what he needed. A sleek black pair of scissors. He grabbed it, and headed into the bathroom. 

When Lars looked in the mirror, he almost dropped the scissors. Homeworld had no mirrors, especially in the dark tunnels he and the off colors had found sanctuary in. A giant scar crossed over his left eye, dark red in contrast to his pink skin. It seemed brighter under the fluorescent bathroom lights, the color of bubblegum, than it had when he had first noticed it. His hair was a pale pink, looking more like cotton candy than actual hair. He had noticed that it was lighter, not only in color but in weight. He barely recognized himself. His eyes seemed darker, light bags underneath. 

He took a deep breath as he raised the scissors back up to his hair, and snipped a small lock so it reached his shoulder. The cloudlike hair fell away into the sink as he continued to cut his bangs, slowly, until they were all an equal length. 

Back on Homeworld, Lars had decided that he would keep it longer. Now that his hair was a magical dimension or something, he had figured that that was easier. Now he looked at his hair, pink and curly down to his shoulders. The red hoodie he wore was covered in stray pink hairs, and he brushed them off. 

He heard the warp pad activate, and he ran his hands through his hair before leaving to greet them. 

Steven was in the kitchen, making a snack. “Hey, Lars.” He was wearing a jacket over his usual t-shirt and jeans, yet he still wore his flip flops. 

“Hey, Steven. What's going on?” Lars leaned against the counter.

He spread jam on a slice of bread. “The Gems had to go on a mission. Rhodonite and the other gems are at the Kindergarten for now.”

Lars sighed. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” Steven looked up at him. “You cut your hair!”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. I did.” He chuckled. “I wanted to keep it long, though. Make it easier.”

“Easier for what?”

Lars paused. “That dimension thing, right? In my hair?”

Steven grinned. “Oh yeah! It looks nice!” 

“Thanks.” He tucked a stray curl behind his ear. 

Steven reached up and absentmindedly touched a lock near his face. Instantly, it glowed and Lars flinched. 

“Sorry. Wasn't expecting it,” he said as Steven drew his hand away. 

“It's okay.” Steven finished making his sandwich, but he left it on the plate. “What was it like?”

Lars turned around to lean on the counter instead, putting his head on his chin. “It was hard. Not, with the robonoids. Adjusting, I guess? We wouldn't stay in one place for long, more like rotating. I had to come to terms with not being… human. Alive.” It was hard to explain, what he'd felt there. “We protected each other. Like Fluorite said,  _ us off colors stick together. _ ” He looked away from Steven, twirling his hair to busy his hands.

Steven put a hand on his shoulder. A simple thing, human touch. His hands were small, but warm. The gems would touch him, but they felt different. Cold. Their touch was cold, because they were rock. Everything on Homeworld was rock. It felt so… cold. 

Lars hadn't realized he'd started crying until he saw a tear fall onto the counter. 

He let them fall, and Steven kept his hand on his shoulder, which grounded him. He let himself breathe - in, out. In, out. 

It was quiet, not the eerie silence of the tunnels. It was the silence of a library, warm and comforting. The faint smell of roses that always seemed to follow Steven was calming. 

The tears stopped falling, and he pushed himself off the counter. Steven gave him a concerned look, and he averted his eyes. “Lars…”

“Yeah?” 

“I missed you… when you were on Homeworld. It felt like something was missing whenever I went to the Big Donut. Sadie missed you too. You're like the brother I never had.” He paused. “I'm glad you're back, Lars.”

Lars smiled. He slung his arm around Steven’s shoulders. “Missed you too, bud.” He pulled away, crossing his arms in front of him. “I mean, I'm glad I'm back too.” 

He pushed his hair out of his face, threading his fingers through it. “I should go back home soon. God, what are my parents gonna think? I disappear for six months and come back with a scar and pink skin!”

“They'll be happier you're home,” Steven reassured him.

Lars let his hair fall as he pulled his hand through. “You're right.” He put his chin on his hand. “They're probably so worried.” He sighed. “I'm going home.”

Steven smiled. “You're always welcome back, you know.”

Lars smiled back. “Yeah, I know.” He leaned down and hugged him, a quiet goodbye.

He left soon after, pulling the hood up to hide his face as he got closer to the boardwalk. The hood didn't fully conceal his face, and his hair peeked out a bit, but no one could tell it was him, reappearing after six months. He finally reached his street, the houses mostly dark. It was late, later than he'd realized. 

He walked up to the door, and took a deep breath. He pulled off his hood, and pulled out a rusty key from his jeans to unlock the door. 

The door opened before he could, however. His mother stood there, eyes wide in surprise. “Laram- Lars?” 

He smiled. “It's me, mom.”

She pulled him into a hug, tight and warm. He felt his eyes watering as he wrapped his arms around her. 

It was a long hug, but soon his mom pulled away. “Oh, Lars… it's been so long. You must be starving, it's so late! Come on in, there's leftovers from dinner and you can have those. Your father went to bed early tonight.” She ushered him inside, a hand on his back as they walked in.  

The house was how he remembered it, a bit messier but mostly the same. “I'm not that hungry, but I'm sorta tired. I'm just going to head up to bed, okay?”

She smiled at him. “Of course. Get some rest, dearie.” His mom gave him one last hug before he went upstairs into his room. 

He laid on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. It was nice to be finally home, after six months away on a strange planet.  

He closed his eyes, and let his mind drift off to sleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> hey yo! if you liked it plz leave me a kudo and maybe a comment? i'd love to hear what y'all think and yes,,,, long-haired lars plz my dudes


End file.
